


Devoid of Choice

by v1ewmonster



Category: Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anger, Arguing, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Fights, Friendship, Gen, Internal Conflict, Minor Violence, Talking, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2020-12-17 16:44:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21057668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/v1ewmonster/pseuds/v1ewmonster
Summary: Ever since he was prophesized to save the world, Ness felt as if he never was given a choice.An AU that centers around Ness forcefully joining Giygas's side, finding a way to get back to his friends while also playing the part.





	1. Guess I Don't Have A Choice

Pokey was inside his spider mech, an unamused look on his face as he watched Ness and his friends duke it out with Giygas. There they were, in the final battle, and yet Pokey didn’t have a say when it came to pulling the strings. It wasn’t like they had seen Giygas’s true form yet, and it was just getting started! So why was he becoming bored already!? 

“Hngh, how boring…” he huffed. Though perhaps he could do something about it, maybe push Ness’s buttons a bit? He was trying his best when it came to holding his own, so an attempt to distract him would at least cure Pokey’s boredom.

Ness, like he thought, was keeping his guard up, focusing his attention on Giygas. He continued to hear Giygas chant his name, causing him to shudder on instinct. He decided not to focus on Pokey's teasing as he waited for Paula to pray for another time.

Pokey stared at Ness, and once he did, Ness noticed his piercing stare at the corner of his eye. He shook his head, hearing the mechanic sound of his robot body. _ Don't even _ ** _think_ ** _ about talkin' to him, at least not right now. _ He mentally told himself.

Pokey chuckled, taking note of his expression. “Why so grumpy?”

“Tch!” Ness omitted as he continued to focus his attention on Giygas. He mustn’t pay attention to Pokey…

Pokey laughed once more. He clearly loved messing with Ness. He always had been since they were small! But now, it was even more amusing. "Aren't you scared? Don't you wanna go cry to your mommy, Ness?" His expression cracked into a grin. "Hehehe... say, 'Mommy, Daddy, I'm so scared! I think I'm gonna wet my pants!'” 

_ Don’t let him get to you… _

Pokey was starting to blow his fuse, but he knew he shouldn't be displaying evident traces of anger, especially since he was in what could possibly be considered a life or death situation.

Pokey tapped on his mech, making various annoying jokes about Ness. Ness continued to ignore him, dodging more of Giygas’s blows and healing his team. But it was starting to get to him, somehow. Pokey was his _ friend _, and he shouldn’t be doing this. But there was nothing he could do now, as Pokey was a lost cause, at this point.

Ness watched as Pokey rested a hand on his chin. “You know, you look better when you’re angry.” He giggled some more, continuing to mess with him by pressing a diverse range of buttons on his mech.

If Ness were in his physical form, he would be seething with resentment. But he knew he couldn't give in to Pokey's desire of reacting how he'd want him to. He didn't want him to win, after all. This was all a game to him, and to win it, he had to refuse to play it.

“Aww, you’re _ boring _ ,” Pokey said, his once delighted expression souring, “Be ** _ANGRY_ **!”

Ness sighed, gripping his baseball bat. "You know, I think I'd rather not when I'm in a situation where I could _ die _."

“But seriously,” he raised his bat, “You’re gonna hafta try harder than that.”

Pokey used his claws to jab Ness with his mech, with Ness dodging the blows before it was able to make contact.

“Aw, look at _ you _, showing off to your team,” Pokey said in a sing-song voice as he continued to jab.

Ness dodged some more. “Pokey, enough! What do you expect this to accomplish!?”

Pokey groaned. “Fuck you!” He raised a claw, sending a puff of smoke Ness’s way.

“Fuck you too…” Ness muttered, making his way in the smoke. He then realized what he said. Pokey was his _ friend _, and what kind of friend was he when he said things like that? Or… did Pokey not see him as a friend? The manifestation in Magicant proved otherwise.

Pokey growled, inching closer towards Ness. “Now listen, it’s either you die or join us… which will it be?” He smiled in hopes that Ness would give in and join.

Ness laughed in an uncharacteristic manner. “Join you? That’s absurd, that’s…” he thought about it for a moment. If he did, what would happen to his friends? What would happen to _ the world _? If he happened to join them, his adventure would be all for naught! So of course it was ridiculous to him!

Pokey raised a brow. “It’s what…?”

"No... no, it doesn't..." Ness said, unable to understand his own words, "Look, Giygas is unraveling all this! Don't you see? He's controlling you! You're bein' mind controlled!" He pointed to his head.

“Oh really? Well, how’s _ this _for mind control, huh!?” He continued to jab at Ness, specifically aiming for his head.

“Nngh!” Ness dodged the blow once more, eyes widening.

“Heh,” Pokey ran a hand through his hair, “C’mon, _ Nessie _, you’re making things harder for me…”

“What makes you think I’d come with you?”

“Just do it!” He shouted, slamming his hand on the glass of his mech.

“Why!?” 

Pokey sighed, panting. “Please…?”

“Sayin’ the magic word won’t do it either,” Ness said, raising a finger.

“Bah!” Pokey gave up, “Fuck off and _ die _!” He jabbed some more.

Ness felt one of the claws pierce his mechanical chest, resulting in a dent. “Shit…!”

Pokey laughed. At least he got a hit in.

Ness continued to think about Pokey’s offer, causing him to say, “If I _ do _join you, what’ll be the benefits?”

Pokey took his hand off of the buttons. "Well, for one, you'd be rich, and if we _ do _ manage to do it, everyone would be under our control!” He began to smile, tilting his head. "Would you like further details?" 

“I guess,” Ness admitted, turning to Paula, Jeff, and Poo, “My friends… they won’t be hurt, right?”

“It’s your choice!” Pokey replied, rolling his eyes, as he clearly only wanted Ness.

“Choice? What are you implying?”

“If you want them to live, of course! Otherwise, kiss ‘em goodbye!”

“I… I _ do _want them to live, but…”

Pokey tilted his head more. “Hm?” 

“If I do join you, will they be able to live? Answer me this.”

“Of course!” Pokey replied, “Like I said, your choice!”

Ness sighed. There was really no way out of this. He just wanted his friends to live, even if he had to sacrifice himself. It was for the better of everyone, really.

He nodded when he turned to Pokey, hesitant with his answer. "...okay. I'll join you. Because I want them to live. I might as well sacrifice myself for their sake."

“Yippie!” Pokey shouted, clapping his hands.

Ness turned to Paula, Jeff, and Poo, murmuring, “Guys, I’m sorry…” as he noticed their expressions of dismay. 

Pokey watched them, a wide grin spread across his face. “_ At least you’ll be alive _.” 

Ness wanted to cry, but at the same time, he was filled with pure _ rage _in regards to Pokey. He didn’t want to do this, but he was devoid of a choice. It was only for the safety of his friends, anyway.

As Pokey watched Ness’s soul return to his body back in Saturn Valley, he pulled out a flask filled with what looked to be alcohol, drinking from it. Ness peered gingerly over his shoulder once he awoke. “You drink now?”

“Yeah,” Pokey said, the happiness refusing to fade in his voice.

Ness began to reflect on Pokey’s father, who did the same. God, what a shitty father he was, and now look at his son, who turned out even worse than he did!

_ Well, like father like son, right? _

Pokey opened the mech, continuing to smile. “Hop in! There’s plenty of room!”

Ness stared at him, then at the mech. “Oh, okay…”

“Come on, don’t treat me like a stranger! We’re friends, aren’t we?”

“I know…” Ness said, reluctantly climbing into the mech. As he got in, Pokey shut it, now wearing a self-righteous smile. Ness looked about the mech before asking, “So what are we doing?”

“Let’s go to Fourshi- I mean, Fourside!”

“...okay.”

As they began to travel across Eagleland, Ness turned to Pokey. “You gotta plan for this… world domination thing?”

“Well, we’ll release Giygas onto Earth- I dunno, that’s what Giygas said.”

“That’s what Giygas said…?” Ness asked in disbelief, “_ Sure _ .” _ There has to be a better plan _, he thought to himself.

“Anyway,” Pokey said, teleporting to Fourside, “Let’s go celebrate!”

The two ended up in his office, with Ness clearly recalling it. He and his friends were here when they were trying to find Monotoli. The thought hurt, as now he’s working for the bad guy. Though it wasn't like he had much of a choice in the matter. Well, he _ did _, but it was whether he'd join them or his friends would die. And he cared more for his friends rather than himself, anyway.

“Want some?” Pokey asked, offering an unopened bottle of vodka.

“Nah, I’m good,” Ness said, “I don’t drink, anyway.”

“Aw, c’mon! It’s delicious!” He began to drink from it.

“I said I’m good…”

“You’re no fun,” Pokey complained as he chugged the rest of the bottle.

“Pokey, don’t!” Ness said, waving his hands, “You’ll get drunk!”

Pokey refused to listen as he drank the rest of it and threw the bottle across the room once he was finished. Ness sighed. He was going to have to deal with _ this _in the coming months?

“Seriously, Pokey…?”

“Oh, come on…” Pokey began to hiccup.

Ness backed away, as he swore Pokey was about to fall on him if he weren’t careful. “Hey, buddy… I, uhm…”

“Yeah?” He slurred, smiling.

“Oh jeez…” What did he get himself into?

“What were you gonna saaaaaay?” Pokey asked as Ness tried to think of a way to get himself out of the situation.

“Uhh, nothing! It’s nothing!”

“Nesssssiiiiiieee, don’t mess with me like that!” He continued to hiccup, sitting down on a couch near the wall. 

Ness plopped down on a couch nearby, burying his face into his hands. What was he going to _ do _with him?

“Wanna watch some po- I mean, TV?”

“Sure,” Ness said, tired enough to not register his previous sentence.

He pointed towards the remote, explaining that the remote was closer. Ness took note of this, grabbing it as he sunk into the couch. He flipped between channels, trying to find something enticing to watch for the night.

He noticed Pokey licking the top of a new bottle before taking a sip. “You know… I’m tryna… pass out here…”

“Uhh, okay?” Ness said, unsure of what to say.

Ness flipped through enough channels to find Pokey passed out on the couch, the bottle still in his hands. He decided to leave him be for now, as who knows what would happen if he didn’t?

He checked the time, noticing it was late enough for him to go to bed. He was getting tired anyway, and he felt as if he dawdled enough. He found it best to finally settle down and get some rest. He had a long day, anyway.

As he closed his eyes, he wondered what the next day would entail for him, including what fate had in store for his friends. He just had to wait until then, finally relaxing as he slipped into unconsciousness.


	2. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ness makes amends with Pokey as he finds himself in a new situation. Oh, and he meets Giygas for the first time.

Ness woke up with a start, panicking before realizing where he was. He was in Pokey’s office, not in Saturn Valley. He looked down at his hands, then at Pokey, whom he realized was still holding the vodka bottle from last night. Upon seeing him like that, he took the bottle away from him and threw it in the recycling bin, then began to shake him awake.

“Hey, Pokey,” He greeted, “Wake up…”

“Huh?” Pokey asked upon seeing him, “Oh, g’mornin.”

“G’mornin,” Ness said, smiling slightly.

He laughed, smiling back. “How’d you sleep?”

“Alright, I guess. You?”

“Pretty good.”

Ness nodded in approval. “That’s good.”

“So uhh,” Ness continued, changing the subject, “What’s next for your big plan?”

Pokey sunk into the couch. “I just wanna chill out today.”

“Oh… okay.” That was fine. Ness didn’t want to wreck havoc to the world, anyway. He wouldn’t know what to do with himself if he did. “Anything you wanna do?”

“Hmm, nah… you?”

"I guess we could just... talk. Like, as friends. We haven't done much of that recently, huh?" He rubbed the back of his head.

“Sure!”

Ness nodded, smiling wider than he had in a long time. If he was going to be apart of the bad side, he might as well embrace it instead of living in misery. And that started with being happy for once.

“So,” Ness said, “How was destroying the world before I joined?”

Pokey had a discouraged look on his face. “Pretty boring.”

“Really? Is it only gonna be entertaining with me around?”

Pokey nodded. “Yeah…”

“Hmm…” Ness thought for a moment, “Hey, what is Giygas like? Is he scary?”

“Meh, I got used to his appearance.”

"Well then, uhh..." It was hard to talk to him, let alone face him after the previous few months trying to save the world. He'd never imagine joining the bad side, but here he is now.

“Why’re you asking?”

"I was just wonderin', since I dunno what he's like. Is he really as evil as he seems?"

_ Maybe I can fix him and we don't hafta do this... _ Ness wanted to say, but held back on it. He closed his eyes tightly, heaving a sigh.

His eyes opened again once he heard Pokey’s voice.

“Well, he's actually sensitive when it comes to talking… I found it weird at first, but every creepy-badass villain has a soft side, y'know?" Pokey grabbed a cigar and lit it from a lighter that was originally on the table.

"Really?" Ness said, then noticed Pokey with the cigar. The smoke floated his way, and he fanned it away with his hand.

Pokey chuckled, blowing more smoke at him. “Hell yeah.”

Ness fanned it away once more, later clutching his chest and coughing.

Pokey stopped for a moment. “My bad…”

“It’s… fine…” Ness said, continuing to cough.

“Want a puff?” Pokey asked, attempting to hand the cigar. 

“No, I’m good…” Ness replied, turning away.

“Bah.” He huffed, puffing his cheeks out.

Ness chuckled at the way he looked whenever he puffed his cheeks. He’s seen him do that before in the past, and every time, without fail, he would laugh. He never understood why it was so funny to him, but it was. 

“That’s not funny!” Pokey pouted, crossing his arms. 

“Believe it or not, it is,” Ness said, continuing to laugh.

“No…”

“ _ Yeah _ .” 

Ness laughed some more as he watched Pokey puff his cheeks out again.  _ Perhaps bein’ evil isn’t so bad, if we can have healthy interactions like this.  _ He thought, but he was still iffy about committing evil acts.

Pokey sighed, putting out the cigar with his arm. “What now?” He looked around, as there was nothing else to do but talk. 

Ness thought for a moment. “Can you take me to Giygas, maybe?”

“Oh, sure!” He uncrossed his arms, heading towards the spider mech. “You should be ready, though. You didn’t change yesterday.” He pointed at Ness’s outfit. 

“Shoot, you’re right,” Ness said, “Ya got any spare clothing around here?”

“Eh. You in the mood to wear overalls?”

“Not my style, but I guess I don’t have any choice. Unless you have any more of those suits?” He pointed a finger at the red striped suit Pokey was wearing.

"Well, I have the one that was too tight for me, so it might fit you." He walked to the closet, taking out the same outfit he was wearing. It appeared to look the same, except it was smaller. "Curse my fatass..." He poked at his stomach as he said that. "Anyway, here," He handed Ness the outfit, "I'll look away." He turned around, hands over his face.

“Alright…” Ness said, changing into the shiny new suit.

“You done?” Pokey asked after a while.

“Yep,” Ness said, looking at himself in a mirror nearby.

He turned around, examining Ness. “It  _ suits  _ you, heh heh.”

Ness chuckled, smiling. “Thanks.”

Pokey smiled back. “My pleasure.”

“Welp,” Ness said, “I’m ready to see the big bad!” He took another look in the mirror as he said that.

Pokey nodded. “Let’s go.”

Ness followed him into the mech, and together, they were transported to wherever the Devil’s Machine was located. 

  
  
  
  


Pokey slammed his hand on a massive sphere, and as he did, Ness began to stare at it, noticing a reflection as he did so. Was that…  _ him _ ? He couldn’t tell as Pokey made it disappear from his line of sight.

Giygas appeared inside the immense spear, his hands rubbing against it. 

“Is that-” Ness asked suddenly, pointing to the sphere.

“Yeah, it’s him,” Pokey said, “Hey bud, how ya doin?” He leaned against the sphere, smirking.

Giygas groaned in response. “I have a headache…” His voice was deep and slightly distorted, Ness noticed.

“That sucks.”

“Oh, uhh,” Ness said nervously, “Heya, uhh… Almighty Cosmic Destroyer? Is that what ya want me to call you?”

“Sure,” he said, looking at Ness, initiating a double take, “Wait, why are  _ you  _ here!? I thought you wanted to kill m-”

Pokey raised a finger. “No, he’s on our side now!” Ness nodded, emitting a small “mhm…”

“Uhh, yeah! Well, I am  _ now _ .”

Giygas calmed down, his ear beginning to twitch. “Okay… well, uhh… welcome.”

“Glad to be here,” Ness said, bowing in an ironic fashion.

Giygas curled up into a ball, slowly fading away. “I’m going to sleep…”

“What? I’ve been meaning to talk to ya, c’mon!”

_ To talk to you about why you’re doing this…  _ came a bitter afterthought from the recesses of Ness’s mind. 

He came back. “What about…?”

“Well,” Ness stammered, “I just wanted to check up on ya, so to say… I guess?”

He was silent for a second or two until he uttered a “...thanks.” As well as that, he seemed to have cracked a genuine smile. A rather horrifying one, but a smile nonetheless. Ness noticed his smile, feeling satisfied with himself that he was able to achieve that.

Giygas’s smile slowly faded as he said, “So you’re a new assistant, I assume?”

“Assistant?” Ness asked, about to laugh, “ _ Oh no,  _ Lord Giygas.” He inched closer towards the sphere. “ _ I wanna be part of the action. _ ” He could feel his PSI flare up as he finished his statement.

Pokey smiled. “Now he’s getting into it!” He patted Ness on the back.

“He is indeed… I never expected something like this, but it’s all well and good.”

Ness's expression formed into a smirk as looked at Giygas again. "So, ya got a plan to destroy the universe or what?"

Pokey began to sweat nervously. “We’re working on that, actually.”

“I see.” Ness said, stroking his chin. 

“For today, you can just sleep,” Giygas said, “Or whatever it is you humans do.”

“Alright then?” Ness replied, cocking an eyebrow in a disheartening manner. “That’s fine, I guess.”

"I apologize, I've been busy all week with no sleep as well as dealing with  _ you _ trying to stop me." He huffed.

"Oh, I uhh," Ness waved his hands in embarrassment, "Sorry about that, haha! Hope we're on good terms now, yeah?"

Giygas sighed, somehow. “Yeah.”

“That’s good!” Ness laughed a little bit before shutting up for a good while.

Silence.

“Well,” Giygas said, “Is that all?”

“Yep, I’d say it is,” Ness flashed his signature peace sign, “See ya later, Almighty Cosmic Destroyer!”

“Alright, see you later…” Giygas yawned, showing off his teeth a bit.

“Okay, bye!” Ness said, watching him leave his line of sight. Pokey bowed, saying “Rest well, your highness!” before heading to his mech.

The two teleported back to Fourside, heading into Pokey’s office. It smelled of smoke, causing Ness to cough in an instant. Pokey stroked his back, asking if he was okay, with Ness insisting him that he was.

Ness later was sitting in a soft chair, reclining backwards. He didn’t do very much except talk, but he felt as if he had a long day. He continued to reflect on what happened as Pokey plopped on what looked to be a king sized bed, fixating on a nearby window.

“Comfy...” he mused as he hugged a pillow.

Ness decided it would be best to fall asleep too, reclining the chair further and fully closing his eyes until he stopped hearing the sound of Pokey snoring. He had to admit, acting evil for the sake of helping your friends was hard. That attitude was expensive anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can i just say that i love most of the dialogue i wrote in this chapter? the line that ness says when giygas asks if he's a new assistant never ceases to floor me tbh
> 
> anyways, i hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to comment and maybe even tell me if i did anything wrong with this chapter since i'm open to anything concerning improvement!


	3. Fake It Until You Make It!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While looking for something to do, Ness hears of some strange developments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait, enjoy the update cause i prolly won't be updating for a while!

Ness woke up with a mug of coffee in his hand and a bitter expression on his face due to overthinking all night when it came to the fate of his friends. He couldn’t help but worry about them even now, since it had been two days since he was separated from them. He found it odd that in a span of two days, he nor Pokey were tasked to do _ anything_. Though it wasn’t like that was a bad thing. He just assumed Giygas had more in store for them.

At the corner of his eye, Ness noticed Pokey, eyes glued to the television. He didn’t have a bottle of vodka in his hand, miraculously, a wave of relief washing over Ness as he realized it. 

Ness took another sip of his coffee, thinking that whoever invented it must have been a genius. “G’mornin.”

“Morning,” Pokey said, now looking at Ness. 

Ness went from sipping the coffee to chugging it in a span of twelve seconds. Whoever invented coffee really _was_ a genius, Ness concluded as he felt the hot liquid trickle towards his chin, swallowing as it slid down his throat. 

“Oh.” He heard Pokey utter from across the room. 

“I’m tired, okay?” Ness told him as he continued to chug the rest of his drink. Once he finished, he threw the mug into the trash can. Realizing what he did, he stared at the trash can in horror and ambled towards it, snatching the coffee mug immediately and putting it onto the table where Pokey was originally sitting.

Pokey watched in confusion. “I- ...okay then?”

Ness sighed, plopping onto the couch. “Sorry, I’m just… half-asleep.”

“It’s fine.”

_ No, it’s not fine. It’s never fine and you know it. _

Ness found himself closing his eyes every now and then, but he knew he couldn’t, not anytime soon. Nowadays, he had to be _c__autious _. Giygas promised Ness that they were able to plan something out in the name of world destruction, and he didn’t want to know what the outcome would be if they found him sleeping on the job. He wouldn’t want to die by Giygas’s hand, anyway. That wasn’t the promise he gave to his friends.

Pokey stood up. “I’m gonna go brush my hair. You try to wake up, okay?” 

“No promises!” Ness shouted back as Pokey went into another direction.

After a while, he waited for Pokey to come back, his fingers lightly tapping on the coffee table in boredom. An “ow” could be heard in the distance as he did so. This caused Ness to stand up, peeking inside the room.

“Somethin’ up?”

“No, it’s nothing,” Pokey assured him, “It’s just that the brush got caught in my hair… _please_ _help_.”

Ness vehemently got the brush out of his hair, after a minute of trying. “Here.” He said, handing it to him.

“Thanks!” Pokey said, making eye contact with him as he finished his statement.

Ness smiled. “No problem. I’m gonna go get more coffee now.” 

He walked over to the coffee pitcher, watching as it poured coffee into his cup. He continued to watch until it began to overflow without his acknowledgment; something his half-tired ass couldn’t stop.

In that amount of time, Pokey finished brushing his hair, setting the brush back onto the counter and walking out. 

Ness finally returned to reality, realizing what was happening around him for once. “_ Hah _?” Oh, shit!” He cursed as he stopped pouring the coffee, grabbing a paper towel and briskly cleaning the mess up. 

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Ness replied, smiling. He took a sip of his coffee as he did so.

“Oh, okay.”

Ness nodded, finally getting up and heading towards the couch. “When will Giygas _finally _give us somethin’ to do? I’m gettin’ kinda bored.”

He violently landed on the couch. He had to admit it, he _ was_, but he still wasn’t eager to commit to anything bad.

“Well, we’re planning on sending out a few guys, then ourselves.” Pokey said, stroking his chin.

"Uh-huh," Ness said, sipping his coffee some more, "But what are we doin?"

Pokey smiled. “Watchin’ the action ‘till it’s time.”

"Time?" Ness questioned. He hoped to _ whatever the hell was in the sky _ that his statement didn't spell out anything jeopardizing.

Pokey laughed in response to Ness’s concern.

“Time to release _ ourselves _.”

Ness scowled, confused as he could be at that moment. But he didn’t say a word as Pokey continued.

"Now _ THAT'S _ when the real chaos starts, and the next thing you know, the world is ours!" He winked, a half-maniacal smile spread across his face.

"It can't be _ that _ easy," Ness said as he stood up, disbelief dripping into his voice. "I know we have an eldritch horror as our leader, but that doesn't mean taking over the world would be _ easy, _" he took a sip of his coffee, "Savin' the world took a hell of an effort to achieve, but I guess that doesn't matter now, huh? After all, I'm here."

“I’m not that dumb, bat boy,” Pokey mused, playfully shoving down Ness’s cap by the bill.

Ness winced, a bead of sweat forming near his brow. "Well, yeah, I know that much. It's just that you make it sound so easy for the whole world to be wrapped around Giygas's finger or... whatever."

Pokey chuckled. "Nah, that's just the summary. There's a lot more to it, it's just that it’s a work in progress."

"Doesn't seem like a work in progress when you got half the world in your clutches," Ness muttered.

"Haha, yeah. Just before you joined us, the plan was to ** _murder_ **you and get that outta the way, then we'd have it quicker than you can drink milk like the little baby you are." Pokey said, poking Ness' nose with a smug expression.

"Can't be a baby if I was chosen to save the world," Ness shot back, lightly shoving Pokey.

"Ouch. Then, how come you call your mommy every five seconds?" Pokey asked, tilting his head.

Ness was silent for a moment until he said, "You have a point there... but it's not like I can't live without her. I'm here now, aren't I?" He tilted his head as a means to mock Pokey.

Pokey chuckled some more. “Fine, fine.”

Ness laughed in response. "But seriously, I wouldn't consider that a good plan, but it's a work in progress."

Pokey raised a brow. “Then you tell Giygas that.” 

He started pacing around the room, a cigar in his hand. 

“Don’t worry, I _ will _.”

Pokey lit the cigar, taking a few puffs. “Hehe… try not to die, then. But yeah, that's the shit he tells me. He might have other things in mind that I have no idea about." 

"Are ya sayin' he'll massacre me if I find any flaw in his perfectly crafted plan?" Ness asked, gesturing with air quotes.

"Like I said, I don't know the entire thing. So don't judge what you hear, _ Nessie _."

Ness scoffed. "Sure."

Pokey laid back onto the couch, heaving a small sigh. 

“Anyways,” Ness said, “I’m gonna go talk to Giygas, if ya don’t mind…” He climbed into the spider mech, examining its buttons.

Pokey shot up from where he was sitting. “Don’t break anything. Cause if you do, you or your so-called ‘genius’ buddy Jeff will fix it.” He made it clear that he wasn’t messing around by deepening his voice.

“Oh… of course!” Ness wondered how Pokey would even be able to contact Jeff, but he made sure not to break anything so that wouldn’t take place.

And just like that, Ness pressed a random button, and he was off, transported to the location Giygas was residing in. Once he arrived at his destination, Ness crawled out of the mech, shaking with unknown peril. He sure as hell wouldn't want to pilot that thing again. He'd leave that up to Pokey.

"Uhh, Lord Giygas?" Ness called, waiting for Giygas to face him.

Giygas turned to face Ness, causing Ness to do a double-take. “...yes?”

"Oh, Lord Giygas!" Ness said, relieved, "You're awake! I just, uhh, had a problem with your plan, uhm... permission to speak? Oh shoot, I'm already speaking, uhh... permission to address the flaws in your plan, then?"

Giygas took a while to respond, but once he did, he began laughing in an aberrant manner. He cracked what seemed to be a fake smile, saying, "Go ahead!"

Ness bowed. "That's good, that’s good! So, I was thinking, uhh... I don't think takin' over the world is as easy as you find it to be. Well, I know you're a pure being of mass destruction, but it's not like everything's easy, no matter what kinda villain you are, right?"

Giygas stopped smiling. “Well, of course I know it’s not easy!”

"Oh yeah? Well, Pokey told me that we'd be watchin' the action until it's time,' as he put it. I feel like that's a bit of a stretch, no?"

That was when Giygas’s blood began to boil, already done with Ness’s antics. "We're tearing down this shitty earth to make it our own, what do you mean by _ stretch _!?"

Ness made a noise indicating fear, jumping backward. He still wasn't used to anyone snapping at him, let alone the Cosmic Destroyer doing it. "You make it sound so easy, though... tryin' to save the world sure wasn't. So what makes _ you _ so confident that you're able to achieve this?"

And just like that, Giygas banged on the glass that kept him captive. “NOW, LISTEN, WE DIDN’T HAVE TO-- wait a minute.”

He smiled as he said that, leaning backward. “Oh my…” he said, laughing softly. There was _ no way _his plan could fail now, no way! “On second thought, you and Pokey go destroy shit, there’s been a change of plans.”

“Changin’ plans… what?” Ness frowned as he heard the news.

“Oh, nothing,” Giygas said, floating upward, “You two go have fun.” 

“Have fun…? With what?”

“Destroy stuff, I got a better idea.”

Ness felt himself getting apprehensive with each second. What could the new change in plans entail? He didn’t want to end up getting used by this… new plan. So he kept his guard up, his hands curling into fists.

“The least ya can do is tell me then, as your lackey.”

Giygas floated closer to the glass, red eyes piercing through Ness’s soul. “Go be kids… commit crimes, kill innocent animals with that _ baseball bat _ of yours, and most of all…” he paused, his red set of eyes dilating wider. “**_LEAVE_ **.”

"Okay, okay, jeez." Ness backed away, obeying his orders. He didn't want to do any of the stuff he mentioned, considering it was beneficial to the bad side, but he _ had _ to figure out Giygas's new plan.

Ness pushed a few buttons on the spider mech, teleporting back to Pokey's office. He hopped out, waving at Pokey whilst wearing a false smile as he did so. _ He wouldn't be able to forget what he was told. _


	4. I'm Not Made By Design

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ness and Pokey finally get their first order from Giygas ever since Ness was recruited to join their side, leaving Ness reluctant to carry it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter's a little short, but i hope you enjoy it nonetheless! i just wanted to get a chapter out before 2020 rolls around

“How’d it go?” Pokey asked as Ness stepped out of the spider mech. 

Ness averted his eyes. "It went, uhm... fine. He just told us to go destroy stuff!"

“Oh really? Hold up,” He had a bottle clutched in his hand, using it to gulp some of it down. “I’m more destructive when I’m drunk.” He finished, cackling. 

“Alright,” Ness said somberly, the nervous energy leaving his body ever since that interaction with Giygas. “Let’s go, then.”

Ness grabbed his baseball bat that he kept with him at all times. He didn't want to do it, but was he really given a choice other than to keep his friends alive?

Pokey hopped inside his mech, bottle inside his mouth. He turned to Ness, gesturing towards the mech. Ness followed suit, watching Pokey press a few buttons before taking off.

“Don’t get too crazy, okay?” Ness warned, noticing the bottle. 

“Whatevs,” Pokey shrugged it off. “If I pass out, though, will you  _ carry me _ ?”

Ness ignored his friend’s smile, saying, “I guess… what choice do I have? It’s not like I’ll leave ya in the streets or anything.”

“Thanks, bud,” Pokey said, teleporting them to a rather familiar place.

“No… problem…” He replied as they reached Onett, his hometown. No…  _ their  _ hometown. 

Pokey noticed Ness’s indignance. “...unless you wanna do another?”

Ness promptly shook his head at the offer.

"I..." Ness choked out. He didn't know what to say, really. He didn't want his family to see him, to see what he had become. But defying Giygas's orders would be a slippery slope he wouldn't dare to come across. Unless Pokey would give him the easy way out, and Giygas wouldn't lash out?

"Will he... will he be mad at me if I don't..."

“Meh,” Pokey simply said. “I guess. I’ve never been on his bad side so I dunno.”

“I guess we can stay here…” Ness continued, looking beyond the horizon. He didn’t find it in him to leave, despite what his moral compass told him.

“We won’t go near your house.”

“Good,” Ness found himself shaking now. “That’s good…”

Ness felt as if he was going to faint at that moment. He didn't want to, seeing as he was tasked with an important job, but he couldn't keep his eyes open for much longer, considering the state he was in. His arms were wrapped around his diaphragm, a cold breeze buzzing through his body.

Pokey took note of this. “You alright?”

“I’m fine…” Ness assured, close to snapping.

Pokey nodded, stepping out of the mech. Ness followed suit, looking upon his  _ own hometown  _ in restrained silence.

Pokey stopped in his tracks, causing Ness to do a double-take. “Actually,” he said, smiling. “Let’s go to Threed instead.”

He strolled back into the spider mech, with Ness following him. He rubbed the back of his head, pressing a few buttons. 

"I..." Ness raised a hand, deciding not to talk any further. No use convincing him now, because he had already started to move.

In an instant, they wound up in Threed. “Here. Isn’t this better?”

Ness sighed. "I guess." That didn't stop the fact that he was about to destroy things, to harm innocent people, tainting the world with their blood. He felt more relieved than he was in Onett, but he didn't think he could face himself once he undergone Giygas's orders.

“Listen,” Pokey continued. “I’ll do the destroying myself if you want.”

Ness felt his stomach turn a somersault. "But what about...?" He was unable to get the words out, but he assumed Pokey knew what he meant. “How would that work?”

“Wha?” Pokey asked with his signature head tilt.

“Giygas won’t try to kill me again, will he? If I’m not following his orders, that is.”

“Well, not really? I just think he’d be a bit mad…”

“Fine,” Ness concluded with a sigh. “I’ll wait by your spider mech, then.”

“I kinda need it- wait,” Pokey said, cracking a smile. “I know how I can make things more fun.”

“What are you gettin’ at?”

“You stay in my mech while I destroy stuff!” Pokey suggested. “Well, we’ll basically sit there together.”

Ness stared at him. He didn’t find it to be a bad idea, but he couldn’t help but think that from somewhere, Giygas was watching them, and if he was out of line, he was sure he’d be executed. But Pokey seemed prideful in his plan, and if that wasn’t enough to convince Ness, he didn’t know any other plan he had up his sleeve that would. 

"Okay, then." Ness said with a hint of uncertainty. As long as he wasn't the one destroying a multitude of buildings, he felt like he was finally able to relax.

“Where should we start?” Pokey asked suddenly.

“You choose. I don't really care.”

Pokey nodded as he looked inside a building close by to see if anyone was inside. There seemed to have been, as he shouted, “Everyone, exit the fucking building!”

Ness peeked inside, watching the teeming masses of people he knew pile out of the building at Pokey's command. They must have thought it was a robbery.  _ Well, that’s one way to do an entrance.  _ Ness thought to himself.

Ness looked around, realizing that nobody was in sight. “Okay, what now?”

Pokey took notice of an unopened cash register, a passive expression on his face. “Destroy everything.” He began obliterating anything he saw, from the counters to the walls. He also took the cash register while he was at it.

Ness watched him in silence, hand resting on his chin. He felt bad, as he  _ saved  _ this town, and now? Now he was watching someone destroy it... though he was aware that nothing could be done.

Once Pokey did his dirty work, he bolted out of the building as it was crashing down, now a mess of detached wood and debris. “Shit, shit shit shi-”

Ness pulled back in anxiety, gesturing so that Pokey could come back into the spider mech. Once he did so, he began to pant, one hand hovering over the buttons.

He giggled a bit while looking at Ness. “Welp… that happened…”

"Yeah..." Ness replied nervously, laughing as well. Though he knew it wasn't a laughing matter. But he had to make light of something eventually, right?

Pokey looked at his work with glee. “That’s one building down!”

Ness nodded, examining the buttons on the mech. At least  _ someone  _ was having fun. “So, what now?”

“Well, uhh, maybe we should do one more?”

“If Giygas wants to kill us, then yeah.”

In mere minutes, Pokey finished off a smaller building. Ness gazed upon it in awe, wondering how that was even possible. Then again, anything was possible, if he was able to go from wanting to save the world to drifting towards the bad side.

“Alright, I think it’s safe to go back,” Ness concluded, leaning backward as he watched Pokey climb into the spider mech.

“Yeah,” Pokey said, closing the mech, “Let’s go tell him our progress.”

Ness nodded, hoping that what they did was enough for Giygas.


	5. Eye For An Eye Makes The World Go Blind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Giygas gives them another order, Ness decides to put his foot down. Which leads to the only option he can take...

“Heeeeeeyyy, Giygas!” Pokey exclaimed as he hopped out of the spider mech.

Ness followed suit, quickly waving at Giygas. "'Sup, Cosmic Destroyer?" He tried not to sound nervous, due to overthinking about the various reactions Giygas would give him, but the thought continued to consume him either way.

Pokey began to explain the report. “We destroyed, uhh… three buildings in Threed, sir!”

Giygas looked down upon the two of them. “Good work.” He said simply. 

At that, Ness turned to Pokey, then at Giygas again. “So, what now?” He asked, his confident demeanour starting to come back.

Giygas didn’t respond. He wasn’t looking at them, either. He only floated inside the sphere, red eyes slitted. Whatever that entailed.

“Lord Giygas?” Ness questioned, waving a hand in front of the sphere.

He still didn’t say anything as Ness emitted a “huh.” He wondered why he was behaving the way he was. He seemed fine, nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps Ness was too annoying for him to deal with. Yeah, that must have been it.

“Okay then?” Ness headed towards the spider mech, proving that they were done talking.

“Uhh, good talk,” Pokey said, following Ness into the mech.

They were back in his office once again, with Pokey stepping out peppily. “Home sweet home!”

Ness collapsed on the couch, ignoring Pokey’s positive energy and groaning. “What’s with that guy, anyway? He doesn’t need to be so vague all the time!”

“I know, he doesn’t really do that, unless—” he paused—“He’s thinking of something?”

Ness scowled at the possibility of that, knowing full well that it was in every sense of the word. He seemed to have been hiding something before, so was he still planning something now? "He told me there was a change of plans... I dunno what that is, though."

Pokey rubbed the back of his head. “Me neither.”

“What, does he want it to be a _ surprise _or something?”

“I guess,” Pokey said, sitting on the couch and pulling out a bottle of vodka.

Ness sighed as he caught sight of the bottle. _ Please don't get drunk... _Ness thought, but knowing Pokey, he totally would. Though he wished he was more cautious of that and learned to drink responsibly without getting wasted every damn day. He watched him chug down half, later putting it away in a cooler nearby. As he did so, Ness decided to watch some television to get his mind off of… everything that was going on around him.

"S- sorry bud... y'know—” He hiccuped—“You just gotta numb yourself..." Pokey said, releasing another hiccup.

"Uhh, yeah..." Ness said as he switched between channels, promptly shutting the TV off upon realizing that there was nothing interesting on.

“_Bro_,” Pokey mused, getting Ness’s attention, “wanna watch some anime?”

"Sure," Ness replied, as he had never really watched anime before. The genre had been getting popular within the past few years, so he wanted to know what all the hype was about. He couldn’t help but become interested in that stuff anyway.

Pokey inserted a DVD, flipping through the options and channels until he found the right one. “Here we go.”

Ness found himself fixated on the television screen. Pokey was the same way, now laying down on his bed.

“So what are we watchin’?” Ness asked, facing Pokey. He was focusing on the screen now, but after a while, he was getting tired, after all the things that happened earlier.

He waited for a response until he realized Pokey had passed out. He _ really _shouldn’t have been consuming alcohol, especially at nighttime.

"Ah-" was what spilled out of Ness's mouth at the moment. So he ambled over towards Pokey, attempting to pick him up and put him to bed. Unfortunately, he wasn't strong enough physically, so he ended up using his PSI, despite knowing that he might strain himself, as he was carrying a person much heavier than him. With that out of the way, he strolled back to the couch, curling up into a ball and closing his eyes.

Pokey flinched a bit, omitting a small sound. “Your hands are warm…” he mumbled, tossing and turning in his sleep.

Ness opened his eyes as he heard Pokey say that. He noticed that Pokey had his eyes closed, standing upright, hand making contact with his own. 

"Oh, uhh..." He wanted to tell him to go back to sleep, but how was he able to when he could barely keep his eyes open?

“Come back…” Pokey whined.

Ness sighed. “_ Fine.” _

“Yay…” Pokey said quietly, smiling as he finished his statement.

"C'mon, man," Ness said, "you need to go to sleep._ I _ need to go to sleep!" He tried not to be loud, as it was the middle of the night, but to no avail.

With that, Pokey opened his eyes. “Huh?”

“Oh.” 

“W- what?”

"Nothing," Ness said calmly, "just... go to bed. I was just about to."

“Okay,” Pokey replied, waving. “Nighty night.”

"G'night," Ness replied as he curled up into a ball again, fading in and out of consciousness.

  
  


Ness woke up, a headache dawning on him. Ugh, what _ happened _ last night? All he remembered was being with Pokey before heading to bed, but he knew he didn't do anything _ after _ that. Pokey was asleep beside him, hair knotted and messy.

"Hey, time to wake up," Ness said, sitting at the foot of the bed.

Pokey groaned. “No thanks…”

"Come _ on_, dude," Ness said, trying to be as calm and composed as possible. "Giygas will _ totally _ kill us if you don't."

Pokey sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Bro…”

"I don't want him to kill us, I'm sorry!" Ness blurted, his eyes fixated on another part of the room.

"It’s fine—” He got up, grabbing a brush as well as a hair tie—"Stupid hair,” he muttered as he styled his hair into a ponytail, still leaving his bangs in place due to not being comfortable with showing his eyes. Ness knew this pretty well, he’d say.

Ness walked over to Pokey, shoving the locks of hair that rested over his eyes out of the way, eyes no longer obscured. "There."

Pokey just stood there, grasping for words. 

"Anyways," Ness said, changing the subject, "we might as well go back to Giygas's lair, see what he has to say—" He faced Pokey—"Right?"

“Yeah.” Pokey said, covering his eyes back up, causing Ness to mutter something under his breath.

Ness entered the spider mech, waiting for Pokey so he could pilot it and then teleport over to Giygas. Pokey climbed inside, teleporting them to Giygas’s lair.

"Ayy, Lord Giygas!" Ness greeted once they reached their destination, a smile plastered on his lips.

Giygas, judging from his position, seemed to be resting. Must not be a morning person, then, Ness concluded.

Ness tapped on the glass keeping him captive. "Lord Giygas? Helloooo?"

He woke up to the sound of Ness poking at the glass. “Ugh…”

"Glad to see you're finally awake," Ness said. "What's next for your _ great _ plan, O Wise One?"

"I see you’re a morning person… I usually sleep until the middle of the day but… why do you ask? That's almost like asking a woman how many children she's planning on having…” He said all of that with a straight face.

Ness laughed nervously at that, hearing Pokey snicker in the background, which _ wasn’t helping_. "Well... I was just wondering, is all."

The three stood in silence, with Ness realizing what he did, what he _ said_. And it only took a few seconds for it to sink in! Must be a new record.

“Try to get another town destroyed today.”

"_ Again _?" Ness asked, groaning.

Pokey kicked Ness’s leg, quietly speaking over him. “Yes, sir.” 

Ness rolled his eyes, later rubbing his leg due to Pokey _kicking_ _it_.

Ness followed Pokey inside the mech, asking bitterly, "What was _ that _for?"

He teleported them to Threed. "I apologize—" He rolled his eyes to mock Ness—"But _ DO YOU WANT US TO DIE _!?" 

"Of course not. That's what I've been talkin' about _ THIS WHOLE TIME _!” Ness countered.

Pokey stared at him, squinting. “What the hell do ya mean?”

"I've been tryin' _ not to die _this whole time..." Ness said, looking towards the ground.

Pokey was silent for a second, later emitting an “oh.”

"Whatever," Ness said, not wanting the quarrel to escalate even further, "let's just get this over with."

"I'll do the work myself, get in the mech.”

"Good." Ness concluded, a chuckle creeping through his words.

Ness waited until Pokey was finished with his work, distracted as can be."Did you have fun out there?" Ness asked, a smirk crossing his face. He had a little more snark in him as well as a lot more to say.

Pokey chuckled, crawling into the spider mech. “Yeah…”

"Oh," Ness said, "I was expectin' ya to still be mad, but whatever." He rested a hand near his chin, averting his eyes.

He teleported them back to the office, then jumping onto his bed only to find himself passed out within the next five seconds.

Ness decided, in that frame of time, that he would take the mech for a spin once again _ just _to communicate with Giygas. He didn't have anything better to do anyway. 

Somehow, he didn't crash the mech, which was a good thing, as he didn't want Pokey to be pissed than he already was. He skidded to a stop, stepping out of the mech and lightly tapping on the opaque sphere.

Giygas’s red eyes bored into his purple ones. “...yes?”

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna ask about the plan," Ness said. "I just wanted to see how you were doin'. We're friends, right? That's what friends do, I'm sure ya know."

“Yeah,” Giygas looked away once he finished his statement.

"So, how's it hangin’? Ever wanna get out of that thing?" He poked the sphere.

“Hmm… maybe sometime soon.”

"What happens when ya _ do _ get out?"

“I’m not sure.”

"Not sure?" Ness repeated, "You're the Cosmic Destroyer, I thought you were supposed to be sure about... _ everything. _"

He glared at Ness. “Don’t be a smartass.”

Ness chuckled at his statement. "Oh, I'll be as much of a smartass as I want, Lord Giygas."

At that, Giygas faded away, choosing not to waste his breath. He wouldn’t want to ruin the way he was attracting Ness to his trap, anyway.

"Hey, where ya goin?" Ness asked, laughing in between. "Come back!"

“**No**.”

"Ugh, fine." Ness returned to the spider mech, later showing up in Pokey's office.

"I'm back." 

Pokey was already sleeping, with Ness sitting at the foot of the bed like he did that morning.

"Must've been tired, huh?" Ness said. "Me too."

He stumbled over to the couch, but this time, he wasn't able to fall asleep.

  
  


Ness started the day not finding the time to sleep, using his usual anecdote, coffee, to keep himself awake. Pokey was still sleeping, which was fine. But he was becoming bored. Giygas couldn’t cure his boredom, as something with him was behind the scenes, but he didn’t know what. 

He stared at the ceiling in silence, purple eyes blinking as he became preoccupied with it. He shot up, pacing around the room, thinking of _ anything _that he could do that didn’t involve Pokey or Giygas.

That was when it hit him.

_ I can escape… _ The thought came to him as if it was a hushed whisper. It seemed to be on a whim, an intrusive thought, but instead, it sounded like a good idea. He knew he didn’t want to be in Giygas’s army no matter what he told himself. He didn’t want to inflict harm to the world, despite being indirectly involved.

He thought about Pokey, and how he would cope without his best friend by his side. He had a slight feeling that he could manage, but during his time of helping the world, his good ol’ friend seemed to be harboring an unstable mindset. But Ness felt like he helped him during his time of need, so escaping unannounced wouldn’t harm him more than it already did. 

So he got up, finding his typical striped shirt and shorts, got dressed in the bathroom, and fastened his red cap in the mirror. When he was wearing Pokey’s suit, he felt like he wasn’t in his own skin. Once he got dressed, he tossed the worn suit into the washing machine, hoping its whirring wouldn’t wake Pokey up. 

He turned to see the spider mech, standing gracefully before him. If he used it, he’d probably break it due to his poor piloting, despite his past experiences proving otherwise. He couldn’t teleport, either, as he wasn’t very skilled at it and he _ knew _ he’d fail multiple times. It was best to go on foot, at this rate. Besides, if he managed to get caught, he wouldn’t hear _ the last of it _ from Pokey. He could imagine all the possible things he could say, ranging from him booming into his ear, or possibly on the verge of tears. He stopped imagining the reverie, as he realized he needed to move, and _ fast _ . 

Ness grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, exchanging another glance at Pokey, watching him sleep peacefully. It was the first time he’d seen him like that, as he was either excitable or close to being considered demented. 

“It’s for your own good,” Ness said to nobody but himself. “Well, _ my _own good, actually. I just… can’t keep doin’ this. You understand, right?”

After he said that, he left the room, and then the office, noticing that there were no Fourside inhabitants in sight. He assumed Giygas already had them taken care of, which made his heart sink. 

His pace went from a walk to a run, despite his obvious display of poor stamina. He wouldn’t want Giygas to find him, let alone _ kill _him, since he remembered that being part of the plan. He could already feel a bead of sweat trickle from his forehead and drip off his chin, even though he hadn’t gone far. That and he was still in view of the city. 

It freaked him out how _ dark _ Fourside looked. It reminded him of when he was inside the department store with Jeff, only for the lights to go out, resulting in Paula getting kidnapped. He recalled that memory _ clearly _, and it made him wonder how his friends were doing, and if they were holding up. He wondered, at this rate, if they were still alive, and if Giygas had kept his promise. 

It took a while, but the bridge leading to Dusty Dunes Desert was finally in his frame of view. He quickened his pace, casting a look in multiple directions on instinct to see if adversaries were nearby. 

He continued to sprint near to where the bridge was, only for a blinding light to obscure his field of vision. He turned around to see Giygas, as well as those part of his army. His eyes widened at the sight of them, wondering how they were able to figure out his plan of escape. 

He stood there, feet planted to the ground, petrified as can be. Did Giygas have _ everything _figured out, including that undisclosed plan of his? He started breathing erratically, and in a moment of Giygas as well as his cohorts staring directly at him, he made a run for it, heading towards the bridge. 

From behind, Ness heard Giygas tell one of his lackeys “Get him,” causing him to run faster. He wasn’t the best at running, but that didn’t stop him, considering his life was on the line! Though he knew that when the time came, he had to fight. 

He reached the bridge, eyes darting back to Giygas’s units as they were catching up to him. He was already becoming fatigued, too. He _ really _needed to get in shape sometime soon. 

As much as he didn’t want to fight, he knew he had to at some point. They were on his tail, anyway. He felt rusty, resulting in him thinking it was a bad idea. But he knew he had no choice. He was never given a choice in the first place. 

So he yanked his baseball bat out of his backpack, whacking the first enemy he laid his eyes on. He grunted, scuttling away as the pack inched closer. He had to run _ faster _, no matter what his mind told him. 

After a while, he stumbled, catching himself before causing any further damage to himself. He knew he couldn’t keep going for much longer, as it had been a few minutes since he made his way to the desert. He briskly turned around, throwing out bursts of PSI to distract them. 

“You can’t keep running for much longer,” A familiar voice said, and Ness recognized it immediately. But what did Giygas know about running away from his problems? He chose to act on his urges rather than to escape from them.

Ness skidded backward, Giygas’s army raring and ready for a fight. He smiled smugly, murmuring, “Did ya miss me?”

Before anyone had a chance to answer, Ness’s bat sliced through one of the starmen’s metallic bodies, becoming damaged beyond repair. He watched as more Starmen, as well as Mooks and Wooly Shamblers stepped up to the plate. He used his bat once more, the enemies barely standing a chance.

It pursued until Ness could feel himself getting exhausted, panting with each step he took. His clothes were sticky with sweat, and there was a smidge of blood rushing down his cheek. 

Giygas’s allies were getting to be too much for him, and it was hard to focus on _ all of them _as they were slowly advancing on him. His evident trace of lethargy wasn’t helping, either.

He was finally surrounded by the masses of enemies, unable to carefully make the right choice. With that being said, Giygas’s army began beating him senseless until he was pushed to the ground, impotent when it came to getting up.

Before he could make an attempt, his vision began to blur, his surroundings getting darker. He blinked, eyes starting to flutter, accepting his fate.

**Author's Note:**

> okay, i know there's another au i need to update but shh-
> 
> so this is basically an au that my friend thought up that was originally an rp, and i decided to make a written version of it because i love the concept so much. anyways, if there's any plot holes or things worth mentioning, don't be afraid to comment, and i hope you'll enjoy sticking with me as i try to update this au!


End file.
